La Trenda lives with 4 dogs, all rescues who came to her with special needs. She spent 8 years volunteering and working for various shelters and rescues. She now spends most of her time going to dog training classes and studying training and behavior books to learn about better ways to connect with her dogs.

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Ninja Petters Part II

If you say, “my dog doesn’t want to be petted” while your dog is backing up and cowering, they usually barge ahead, proclaiming, “But I’m good with dogs.”

If you say “my dog bites,” They stick their hands right in front of your dog’s mouth so they can see for themselves.

I’ve found that being nice to Ninja Petters is the worst thing to do. They keep coming while you are trying to cordially explain why your dog doesn’t want to be touched.

So if courtesy, logic, nor the obvious works, how do you foil these stealthy Ninjas?

A friend of ours told me that he tells people that his dog has herpes. “Works every time, ” he says.

In the book Dogs Are From Neptune, Jean Donaldson advises that pet parents exclaim, “Mange! He has Mange!”

I’m not good with lying, so I’m still working on these techniques. One area where I have improved: I think I have finally forced myself to stop snatching my dog away from Ninja Petters. Yanking your dog will only make her feel worse about strangers who approach without permission.

Personally, I have found that the traffic cop hand or Supreme hand works very well on unsupervised children. Fortunately children are not very stealthy so there is usually plenty of time to get out their way.

You can also try body blocking humans the same way you would body block a loose dog trying to approach your dog.

Some pet parents don’t like to offend people who insist on petting their dogs. Remember that you have a responsibility to your dog, not to strangers. Especially strangers who insist on petting your dog without permission.

If you live with a gregarious dog, this certainly won’t be an issue for you. If you live with a skittish dog, tell us how you foil Ninja Petters.